Ridgecrest Earthquakes Leave Naval Air Weapons Station 'Not Mission Capable'

RIDGECREST (CBSLA) — Multiple earthquakes that struck the Ridgecrest area left Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake "not mission capable until further notice," the base announced Saturday.

In a Facebook post, officials said Rear Admiral Bette Bolivar issued an evacuation order for non-essential active duty, drilling reservists, civilian employees, and dependents to evacuate to a radius of 100 miles from Naval Base Ventura County.

NAWS China Lake remained accessible to mission essential personnel only.

The alert came hours after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake rattled the Ridgecrest area on Friday.

A 6.4-magnitude quake shook the same area the day prior, followed by hundreds of aftershocks.